Spinach-and-Mushroom Baked Penne

Nothing says comfort food to me like a big bowl of pasta, red sauce, and lots and lots of cheese.  At the end of a long day at work, that's what I want to come home to (or find in my Tupperware at lunch, or graze on in the middle of the night, as the case may be).  Can you keep your Sophia Loren figure while indulging in an old-country carbohydrate feast?  I'd say yes.

Please, tell me more.

The key here is whole wheat pasta, a moderate amount of various cheeses, and a heavy load of delicious vegetables—spinach, mushrooms, onions.  Because of all the other flavors and the moistness of the sauce, the whole wheat pasta doesn't overwhelm the dish or make it overly dry.  So make sure not to skimp on the greenery!  As my grandmother would say, "A little bit of veg never hurt anybody."

Linzer Bars

The clocks are set back, the leaves are finally changing color, and it's getting dark far too early: These are all indisputable signs of cookie season's arrival.  That little bite in the air tells baking fiends across the country, me included, that it's time to get down to the serious business of making (and sharing) sweets.

Back in July, I attended my very first canning party, from which I brought home a jar of homemade strawberry jam.  Since I'm not much for toast-and-jam (butter is my topping of choice), the jam has been guiltily staring at me for the past three months.  Solution: Make it the basis for a cookie.

This recipe comes from The Gourmet Cookie Book: The Single Best Recipe from Each Year 1941-2009, which is coming out this month.  It's a really terrific book with lots of beautiful illustrations, plus it's interesting to see the evolution of what American readers of Gourmet expected from their cookies over the past 60+ years.  I adapted this recipe from their 1979 selection, leaving out ground almonds and other ingredients not readily at hand.

Special thanks for this recipe goes to Kirsten, without whom there would have been no jam, no cookbook, and no cookies.